[Nico]

I'm restomoddin' a '66 mustang and one of the wonderdorks that owned the car put a hell of a lot of bondo in the left quarterpanel. If you look inside the trunk at the back of the QP, there is a large indention with quite a few creases in it directly in the center of the panel. I'd say the depth varies down to maybe 1.5 inches. As I say tho, it looks like he took after the poor thing with a hammer and no blocks, shaping hammers or anything and there are quite a few creases. The overall dent is about 12" in diameter, maybe a tad more.

My big question is this: I've restored quite a few mustangs in the past, however I've never done body work this intense. I have to chop out a section at the back part of the wheel well and put in a patch panel as it is. Should I just (shudder) cut out the entire center section of the panel and throw in a patch panel? Or should I try to remove all the damn bondo and try to fix it? I've never actually TRIED to remove ever ounce of bondo before, but on this car I am going to. Any suggestions would be very welcome. If you'd like, I can probably get a picture of it from the interior of th trunk.

I'm personally leaning toward cutting the damn thing out, but I'd like to keep from cutting the crap out of the car if possible.

Thanx much!

Nico

[adtkart]

I recommend approaching a job like that this way. Attempt to straighten the original panel before cutting that one. If you determine that you cannot repair it, replace or patch it. Keep in mind that metal that is damaged to cause a crease, has lost considerable strength. Creases will be extremely hard to remove.

[Zombie]

personally ... I would replace the QP ...

I have a 69 Mustang conv that I am fixing up ... the QP's on both sides are starting to crack ... YEP ... its a BONDO QUEEN ...

Next spring ... both QP's and probably door skins are to be replaced !

[dinger]

I'd definetely try repairing first, replacement will be tough and theres still bondo involved. grind around the outside of the area to the metal, maybe you'll be able to get a putty knife behind the bondo and pop most of it off. If not, grind the bondo off. You'll have to heat the creases and work them flat with a hammer and dolly, being careful not to stretch the metal too much. The dolly on the inside, push out lightly while hammering the heated area with a flat headed hammer. When you get the creases out you'll be able to heat and shrink the rest of the panel to conform to the original shape. I know this must be clear as mud, I don't think heating, shrinking techniques are easy to explain, give it a try, you'll learn and understand more as you work the dents out. Good luck! Dan

[unstable]

I agree with at least trying to repair it first. Cutting out the damaged metal is more intrusive than hammering on it. With some luck, you might end up with a useable panel...

once you cut it, you're stuck with welding a replacement in.

[Nico]

excellent- thanx for the info. And hey what the hell... even if I can't make it a decent fix and end up having to replace it, I'll at least have gotten some experience Thanx guys, I'll probably be starting that project within the next couple of weeks and I'll let ya know how my first "big body panel" job goes.


Nico

[adtkart]

People on the board seem to think that it is the worst thing in the world to have body filler in a car. There is a place and time for it. The idea is to keep it to a minimum. It does more damage to a car to cut a welded panel off a car, than to properly use body filler. I once had a body shop tell me that they wanted to replace a outer panel on a door because it had a small dent in it, because it was a new car. When I refuset to pay for it(I was an insurance adjuster), they were surprised to find that the door already had filler in it from the factory. If you can maintain the integrity of the panel by repairing it, do so. There have been alot of quarterpanels that have been replaced by people that didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't drive the cars to the corner and feel safe.

[Nico]

Thats a good point adkart.... I'll knock it out till its close THEN fill it .